Buffer stem antirattler means



Nov. 14, 1933. G. E. COUTANT 1,934,761

BUFFER STEM ANIIRATTLER mamas Filed Jan. 30, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. E. COUTANT 1,934,761

BUFFER STEM ANTIRATTLER MEANS Filed Jan. 30, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y V. MW v n U m F. m v @WEZE 4 M m m 3% \\A ww WW 3 3 Nov. 14, 1933.

gm H Nov. 14, 1933. E, COUTANT BUFFER STEM ANT'IRATTLER MEANS Filed Jan. 30, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 14, 1933 PATENT Prior.

r 1,934,761 BUFFER STEM ANTIRATTLER MEANS George E. Coutant, Decatur, I11. I Application January 30, 1931. Serial No. 512,428

4 Claims. (01. 213-222) My invention relates to means whereby the supporting stems of the'buffer plate on a railroad car platform, slidingly mounted in the underframe, are yieldingly supported for the purpose of preventing undue vibration and the undesirable chatter encountered in constructions as at present employed; the invention involving suitable wear plates for the respective buffer stems whereby the platform' u'nderfran e elements are relieved of frictional engagement with and therefore relieved of the rubbing action of the buffer stems.

My invention also involves means whereby the yielding supporting means for the buffer stem wear plates may be adjusted from time to time to compensate for wear that may occur between stantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, as viewed by the arrows.

. Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the drawings, are each provided centrally on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 as viewed by the arrows. Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the offset line,44 of Figure 3 as viewed by the arrows.

.Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 as viewed by the arrows.

Figure 6 is a view taken on .the line 6'6 of Figure 4 looking, downwardly.

Figure 7 is a view taken ontheline 7-'? of Figure 4 looking upwardly.

Figure 8 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 4 showing a modification of my invention.

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 9-9 of Figure 8, as viewed by the arrows. p 7 Figure 10 is a cross sectional view, taken on the line 10-10 of Figure 8 lookingdownwardly.

' anti-rattler means provided with means forv regulating the spring mechanism whereby the wear plates are yieldingly and adjustably held in contact with the buffer stems.

The buffer mechanism or plate 20 of railroad or central buffer stem 21 merely has bearing relation with the buffer plate, all as shown in Figure 1 withall of the buiier stems yieldingly held in normal position by means of suitable springs. The buifer stems are arranged in suitable passageways in the platform underframe so as to permit in and out movement; the channels as shown'at 22' being large enough to provide sufficient freedom for the stems.

As the bufier mechanism, per se, is of a well known construction and in itself forms no part of my invention, a further detailed description need not be entered into.

Due to the almost constant in and out movementand excessive vibration to which the buffer mechanism is subjected, considerable chatter or rattle and undesirable noise is encountered as well as resultant wear. For that reason the channels or passageways in the platform understructure are provided with suitable wear plates, as

shown at 24, on which the buffer stems rest and thus relieve the underframe structure of the frictional wear which it otherwise would encounter. The wear plates 24, as illustrated in the bottom face with a hub portion as at25 which cation of the first seven figures of the'drawings consists of a housing 27 flanged at the upper side as shown at 28 with the flange or lobe portions having apertures to receive the screw bolts 29 for attaching the housing 2'7 on the lower member 30 of the car platform underframe.

The housing increases laterally at the lower end, as shown at 31, toward opposite sides to provide a suitable chamber adapted to receive the bowed leaf spring 32 which extends transversely of the housing with the coiled ends 33 of the leaf spring shown disposed through suitable openings to the exterior of the housing. The bottom 34 of the housing 27 has'tapped openings to receive 'the adjusting bolts 35 whose upper ends engage in suitable sockets formedin the underside of a follower or adjusting plate 36'.

The adjusting plate 36, like the bowed spring 32, extends transversely through the sides of the housing 27; these opposite sides of the housing having openings sufiicient to permit the bowed ends of the leaf spring to extend therethrough as well as the adjusting plate 36 and at the same time permit of vertical adjustment or movement of the leaf spring and adjusting plate.

The upper end of the housing is provided with a suitable plunger or loosely mounted member 37 whose upper end is disposed into the vertical passage 26 in the car platform underframe and engages with the hub or boss of the wear plate 24; while the lower end of the plunger member 37 rests on the intermediate arcuate portion of the bowed leaf spring 32, as clearly shown in Figure 4. V i r In order to prevent sidewise shifting of the leaf spring 32, I prefer to curl the outer ends ofthe leaf spring32 as shown at 33 and to provide each of these curled ends with a pin 38 extending transversely through the ends of the leaf spring; the exposedends of the pins 33 being provided with any suitable means for preventing 25 lengthwise shifting of the pins, as for example by having cotter-pins 39 pass through the ends that the structure of said means in all instances is identical.

With my improved means, suflicient upward pressure on the respective buffer stems may be obtained and therefore wear in the bufier stems or in the wear plates, or both, maybe taken care of from time to time by proper adjustment of my improved means. This adjustment, as is apparent from the structure shown, is accomplished by screwing up bolts 35 so as to force adjuster plate 36 upwardly thereby forcing bowed spring 32in a similar direction which in turn causes plunger member 37 to force the wear plate 24 upwardly into firm supporting relation with the buffer stem.

It is also apparent that the buffer stems are yieldingly supported for any necessary vertical movement, as the ends of the leaf spring 32 areloosely supported by the adjusting plate 36, thus permitting flexing of the leaf spring andhence a disobtained intermediate of the spring mechanism I and the buffer stem supporting member. That is to say, in the modified form the bufferstem 22, like in the previous construction, is yieldingly supported by the wear plate 24 arranged in the car platform underframe passage 23, with the boss 25 of the wear plate seated in the vertical passage 26 of the platform underframe element or member 30.

The form shown in Figures 8-to 12 involves a three sided open ended housing 40 having a flat top wall 41 and two side, walls'42, 42, with the top wall provided with an oblong opening 43, as more clearly shown in Figure 11. The housing 40 is intended to be secured with its top wall 41 against the bottom of the car platform underframe member 30 and secured in place by means or bowed, as shown, with the ends of the lower or long leaf of the spring mechanism 47 curled upwardly upon itself, as shown at 49 in Figure 12, in a manner s'imilar to the single leaf spring 32.

The composite leaf spring 47 is intended to be arranged within the housing 40 with the arcuate or bowed intermediate portion disposed upwardly as shown in Figure 8 and therefore arranged immediately beneath the opening 43 in the top wall 41 in the housing 40. The spring mechanism 47 is i rem'ovably and distensiblyscuredinthe housing 40 by bOlGSBUWhiCh extend thiolighthe curled ehds49 of the" spri drgeemmsmand through the elongated openings 51" in "the side walls 42 of theho'using 40'; the bolts"being'pref-ioo 'erably' provided with suitablenutsat the ends for retaining thes'ame in' place.

Arranged in the 'verticalpassage 26 of the car platform underframe member 30' and beneath the hub or boss 25 of the wear plate 24 is em lower member 52'which is adapted toi'i'de freely in the vertical channel or passage"'26. "Thai-nember 52 is provided with a"centralftapped"open ing 53 adapted to receive thefthreaded='end;of a-bblt 54, while the head of the'bolt54 restsorr'theyoke lo or strap 48 of the composite leafspring mechanism 47.

t is evident from the construction s'libwnand described that the wearplate 24is 'yieldingly held in supporting "relation with thebdttomof the buifer stem by the "follower member-"'52 through the medium of the bolt 54 siippoitedbn the spring mechanism 47' and thatwertical' movement of thebuffer, 's'terhs' -are''permitted"by the flexing or'distention of thef'springmecha'nism which is permitted bythe'pin's' or bolts 50 having lateral movement in the oblong holes 51' in the housing 40.

In order to compensate for'wear anhto prevent improper vibration and chatter or rattll l proper rotation or screwing of thebolt 54, namely" in an unscrewing direction; 'byf'means 'of 'asuitable wrench fitting th'ehead' ofthe bolt, will increase the upward pressuretn follower"n ffnber"52"ahd therefore'on the ear plate 24. v

Both forms of theinvention', asillu'stratedin the drawings, will firmly and yieldihgly'support the buffer stems (it being'hnderstood that'my improved device is arrangedbeneath el'aclibiufer stem) and hence-the buffer mechanism will b15135 held against improper vibration and rattle The two exemplifications of the-invention permit a renewal of the wear plates to be made when necessary while at'the samet'ime permittingwear, on the buffer stems a'nd' wear plates. to'be 'taken care of by merely screwing upthe' bolts-35' inthe structure shown in the 'fi'rst 'figures' of -the ilrawings or screwing out 'bolt 54' iri'thestructure' illustrated inf Figures 3'to"12.:.

bodimentsf of; my inventiohandfhave' described these embodiments ini'termSFemplby il merely as made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. Buffer stem anti-rattler means of the character described comprising a housing adapted to be secured to the underside of a car platform underframe provided with a buffer plate having stems slidingly mounted in the underframe, said underframe having vertical passages leading from the stems to the bottom of the underframe, said housing having open ends and an opening in its top adapted to register with the lower end of one of said vertical passages; a bowed leaf spring arranged in said housing with the bowed portion disposed upwardly beneath the opening in the housing top; means associated with the ends of the leaf spring and having loose operative relation with the side walls of the housing whereby the spring may distend laterally and its operative position in the housing maintained; a member supported by the upwardly disposed portion of the spring and movable vertically in a vertical passage in the underframe; and screw means whereby the upwardly exerting pressure of the leaf spring on the first mentioned member may be regulated.

' 2. Buffer stem anti-rattler means comprising, in combination with a car platform underframe having horizontal passages for the buffer stems and vertical passages communicating with the horizontal passages and extending to the bottom of the underframe and Wear plates for the bufier stems disposed at the upper ends of the vertical passages; a follower member in each vertical passage arranged in supporting relation with the wear plate; a housing adapted to be secured to the bottom of the car platform underframe and having an opening in its top communicating with the vertical passage in the underframe; a bowed leaf spring in said housing with its bowed portion disposed upwardly beneath the opening in the housing top; means associated with the side walls of the housing and with the spring ends whereby 3. Buffer stem anti-rattler means comprising a housing having open ends andan opening in its top and adapted to be secured to the bottom of a car platform underframe having vertical pas sages; a member movable vertically in the vertical passage of the underframe above the opening. in the top of the housing, an adjusting plate vertically movable in the housing; a bowed leaf spring in the housing with its ends loosely supported by said adjusting plate and with its bowed portion disposed upwardly beneath the opening in the top of the housing and arranged to support said vertically movable member in the underframe; means connected with the ends of the spring and cooperating with the side walls of the housing for loosely holding the spring in place; and regulable means intermediate of the bottom of the housing and said adjusting plate whereby the position of the latter relative to the bottom of the housing may be adjusted and the upward pressure of the spring on the first mentioned vertically movable member controlled.

4; Buffer stem anti-rattler means comprising, in combination with a car underframe provided with a buffer plate having stems slidably mounted in horizontal passages in the underframe, the

underframe having vertical passages extending to the bottom of the underframe from the horizontal passages; a housing adapted to be secured to the underframe beneath a vertical passage therein and having an opening in its top registering with a vertical passage in the underframe; a bowed leaf spring in said housing arranged with its intermediate bowed portion disposed upwardly beneath the opening; means associated with the ends of the leaf spring for yieldingly supporting the spring in the housing and arranged to permit the spring to distend endwisely; a follower member slidably mounted in the vertical passage of the underframe beneath a buffer stem; and regulable means intermediate of the bowed portion of the spring and said follower member whereby the degree of upward pressure of the spring on said follower member may be controlled.

GEORGE E. COUTANT. 

